Grabbing mechanism

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the disclosure relate to grabbing, holding and releasing an object including a pull stud. For instance, a grabbing mechanism may include a piston chamber having a piston configured to move within the piston chamber when the piston chamber is pressurized. The mechanism may also include a collet attached to the piston such that the collet and piston move together when the piston moves. The collet may include a groove. The mechanism may also include ball cage including a plurality of balls arranged at least partially within respective ball chambers of the ball cage. The ball cage may be arranged at least partially within the collet such that movement of the piston and collet causes the groove to align with the respective ball chambers. The plurality of balls may be configured to move into and out of the groove and to lock the pull stud within the mechanism.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/365,919, filed Mar. 27, 2019, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/910,224, filed Mar. 2, 2018, issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 10,287,135, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Various systems, such as cranes and other devices, employ grabbingmechanisms to grab, hold, lift, and move objects. These mechanisms mayinclude hooks, pneumatically operated claws or grabbers, etc. However,few grabbing mechanisms allow for reliable and rapid grabbing andreleasing of those objects. This can be especially important insituations in which the grabbing mechanism is attached to a crane underhigh loads. Moreover, identifying the state of the grabbing mechanism,including whether an object is properly engaged and released is criticalto safe operation of such systems.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a system for grabbing anobject including a pull stud. The system includes a grabbing mechanismincluding a piston chamber having a piston configured to move within thepiston chamber when the piston chamber is pressurized; a collet attachedto the piston such that the collet and piston move together when thepiston moves, the collet including a groove; and a ball cage including aplurality of balls arranged at least partially within respective ballchambers of the ball cage. The ball cage is arranged at least partiallywithin the collet such that movement of the piston and collet causes thegroove to align with the respective ball chambers, wherein the pluralityof balls are configured to move into and out of the groove and to lockthe pull stud within the grabbing mechanism.

In one example, the grabbing mechanism further includes a springconfigured to bias the piston in a first direction such thatpressurization of the piston chamber causes the piston to overcome aforce of the spring on the piston. In this example, the spring isarranged around a portion of the ball cage such that the portion of theball cage is within the spring. In another example, the grabbingmechanism further includes a plunger body, and the system furthercomprises a sensor configured to send a signal indicating a location ofthe plunger body. In this example, the sensor is a magnetic reed sensor.In addition or alternatively, the grabbing mechanism further includes anejection cylinder including an ejection chamber, wherein the plungerbody is arranged within the ejection chamber and the sensor is arrangedadjacent to the ejection cylinder. In addition or alternatively, thesystem also includes a computing device, wherein the sensor isconfigured to send the signal to the computing device, and the computingdevice is configured to determine a position of the plunger body. Inthis example, in response to receiving the signal, the computing deviceis configured to cause the piston chamber to be pressurized. In anotherexample, the system also includes a lifting mechanism including a crane.In another example, the grabbing mechanism further includes an ejectorpin configured to eject the pull stud from the grabbing mechanism. Inthis example, the grabbing mechanism further includes a plungerincluding a plunger body and a plunger pin. The plunger pin isconfigured to mate with a depression in the ejector pin such that aforce on the plunger body causes the plunger pin to force the ejectorpin to move within the ball cage and to eject the pull stud from thegrabbing mechanism. In addition, the grabbing mechanism further includesan ejection cylinder, and the plunger body is arranged within theejection cylinder, such that pressurization of the ejection cylindercauses the force on the plunger body. In addition, the system alsoincludes an air source configured to pressurize the ejection cylinder.In another example, the system also includes an air source configured topressurize the piston chamber. In another example, the system includesthe pull stud. In this example, the pull stud includes a head portionconfigured to force the plurality of balls to move into the groove whenthe groove is aligned with the respective ball chambers. In addition oralternatively, the pull stud includes a neck portion configured to allowthe plurality of balls to lock the pull stud in the grabbing mechanism.In addition or alternatively, the pull stud includes a shoulder portionarranged to limit movement of the pull stud within the ball cage. Inthis example, the system also includes the object. In addition, theobject is a balloon including a top cap, and the pull stud is attachedto the top cap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a system in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a grabbing mechanism and pull studin accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the grabbing mechanismwith a piston removed in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a grabbing mechanism and pull studin accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a grabbing mechanism and pull studin accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 5B is a detail view of a portion of FIG. 5A in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of a grabbing mechanism and pull studin accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6B is a detail view of a portion of FIG. 6A in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a grabbing mechanismwith an attached sensor in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the portion of a grabbing mechanismwith the attached sensor as depicted in FIG. 7A in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of a grabbing mechanism and pull studin accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 8B is a detail view of a portion of FIG. 8A in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the grabbing mechanismwith a piston removed in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 is an example of a balloon being lifted by a grabber mechanismin accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The technology relates to mechanisms for grabbing, holding, andreleasing an object including a pull stud under high loads. Forinstance, a grabbing mechanism may enable a lifting mechanism to grab,lift, move, and release an object. An air source or compressor canprovide pressurized air or gas to the grabbing mechanism in order tocontrol the functions of the grabbing mechanism. A computing device mayreceive signals from the grabbing mechanism and control the operation ofthe air source and thereby control the functions of the grabbingmechanism.

The grabbing mechanism may include a plurality of structural features,which may include a mounting plate, a base, and a release cylinder. Therelease cylinder may include a cylinder housing, a piston chamber, and apiston. The piston may be configured to move within the piston chamberbetween first and second positions with respect to the cylinder housing.

A first end of the grabbing mechanism may include an ejection cylinderattached to the mounting plate. The ejection cylinder may allow forpneumatic operation of the grabbing mechanism via air or gas from theair source. The ejection cylinder may include an opening leading to anejection chamber. This opening may be connected to the air source. Whenpressurized air or gas from the air source is forced through the openinginto the ejection chamber, this may cause a force on a plunger withinthe ejection cylinder. This force causes the plunger to move away fromthe opening, thereby ejecting any pull stud within the grabbingmechanism assuming the mechanism is open.

The plunger may include a plunger pin which passes through respectiveopenings in the mounting plate and base. The plunger pin may mate withan opening, slot or depression in a first end of an ejector pin. Asecond end of the ejector pin may be configured to contact an end of apull stud. The ejector pin may be arranged to move within an opening ina ball cage.

The ball cage may include a plurality of balls each of which may restwithin a ball chamber of the ball cage. The balls may be allowed to movein and out of a groove in collet to allow an opening through the ballcage to expand and contract laterally. The ball cage may be fixedagainst the base and biased away from a bottom ledge of the piston viaone or more springs arranged around the ball cage.

A first end of the collet may include an opening to allow for theinsertion of the pull stud into the collet and the ball cage. The colletalso includes a groove. A second end of the collet, opposite of thefirst end, may be attached to the piston, such that the piston andcollet may move together. Movement of the piston may be controlled bypressurizing or depressurizing the piston chamber within the cylinderhousing.

The pull stud may include an enlarged head portion, a neck portion, anda shoulder portion. These features may allow for ease of attachment andrelease of the grabbing mechanism. The pull stud may be attached to anynumber of different objects in order to allow for quick and easyattachment to such objects.

A sensor may be attached to the ejection cylinder and used to detectdetermine the location and movement of a body of the plunger within thecylinder. The computing device may use a signal from the sensor todetermine to detect whether or not the pull stud is inserted within thegrabbing mechanism. This information may then be displayed to a humanoperator and used to control pressurization of the grabbing mechanism.

In order to insert and lock the pull stud into the grabbing mechanism,the first end of the grabbing mechanism may be placed over and alignedwith the pull stud. Once aligned, the piston chamber may be pressurized.The pressurization may overcome the force of the spring on the piston,moving the piston within the piston chamber which also causes the colletto move over the ball cage. This movement may cause the ball chambers ofthe ball cage to align with the groove of the collet allowing the headportion of the pull stud to move through and beyond the balls. At thesame time, the head portion of the pull stud may press into the ejectorpin which causes the body to move within the ejection chamber intoposition adjacent to the sensor. The sensor may detect the change in theposition of the body and send a signal to the computing device.

The computing device may determine from the signal that the pull stud isinserted into the grabbing mechanism. The computing device and/or ahuman operation may activate and cause the air source to againpressurize the piston chamber. As a result, the piston may automaticallymove within the piston chamber which may cause the collet to move overthe ball cage. As such, the ball chambers will move out of alignmentwith the groove and lock the pull stud at the neck portion of the pullstud.

In order to release the pull stud, the air source may be used topressurize the ejection chamber of the cylinder, pushing the body,plunger pin, and ejector pin against the head of the pull stud. Inaddition, the collet may move over the ball cage causing the ballchambers to align with the groove. As the head portion of the pull studis pushed by the ejector pin, the head portion also forces the ballsoutward and into the groove. The head portion of the pull stud may nowfit between the balls. The ejector pin may continue to push on the headportion of the pull stud until the pull stud is fully ejected from thecollet

The features described herein allow for quick and easy attachment andrelease of an object including a pull stud while also allowing for highload retention. For instance, the movement of an ejector pin whenejecting a pull stud may prevent the pull stud from binding up orgetting stuck upon release. A sensor also allows for clear determinationof the state of the grabbing mechanism. Also, as actuation of themechanism is independent of the load path and the actuation cylinder hasa high surface area to size ratio, the mechanism can withstand extremelyhigh loading, failing only due to material limitations. And, in theevent of a pneumatic or electrical failure, the mechanism is springloaded shut which allows the mechanism to fail closed and hold, ratherthan drop, the load.

Aspects, features and advantages of the disclosure will be appreciatedwhen considered with reference to the foregoing description ofembodiments and accompanying figures. The same reference numbers indifferent drawings may identify the same or similar elements.Furthermore, the following description is not limiting; the scope of thepresent technology is defined by the appended claims and equivalents.

FIG. 1 depicts an example system in which a grabbing mechanism 100 asdescribed above may be used to grab, lift, move, and release an object30. This example should not be considered as limiting the scope of thedisclosure or usefulness of the features described herein. For instance,a lifting mechanism 10 may include any device that can be used to liftobjects, such as robotic arms, assembly machine parts, constructionequipment, sorting machines, pick and place robots, various types ofcranes, including gantry cranes and jib cranes, etc. The liftingmechanism 10 may be attached to or include an air source 20 orcompressor which can provide pressurized air or gas to the grabbingmechanism as discussed further below. The arrows 50, 52 each representmechanical connections, between the lifting mechanism 10 and grabbingmechanism 100 and between the grabbing mechanism 100 and the object 30,respectively, as discussed in further detail below. Data connections 60and 62 each represent data connections (wired or wireless), betweencomputing device 40 and lifting mechanism 10 and/or air source 20 andbetween computing device 40 and grabbing mechanism 100 respectively, asdiscussed further below.

The system also includes a computing device 40 which can receive signalsfrom the grabbing mechanism 100. The computing device 40 may also beable to communicate with and control the lifting mechanism 10 manually(by a human operator) or autonomously. In this regard, the computingdevice 40 may include one or more processors, memory, and othercomponents typically present in general purpose computing devices.

The memory may store information accessible by the one or moreprocessors, including instructions and data that may be executed orotherwise used by the processor. For instance, these instructions mayinclude instructions for display information to a human operator and/orinstructions for controlling aspects of the lifting mechanism 10. Thememory may be of any type capable of storing information accessible bythe processor, including a computing device-readable medium, or othermedium that stores data that may be read with the aid of an electronicdevice, such as a hard-drive, memory card, ROM, RAM, DVD or otheroptical disks, as well as other write-capable and read-only memories.Systems and methods may include different combinations of the foregoing,whereby different portions of the instructions and data are stored ondifferent types of media.

The instructions may be any set of instructions to be executed directly(such as machine code) or indirectly (such as scripts) by the processor.For example, the instructions may be stored as computing device code onthe computing device-readable medium. In that regard, the terms“instructions” and “programs” may be used interchangeably herein. Theinstructions may be stored in object code format for direct processingby the processor, or in any other computing device language includingscripts or collections of independent source code modules that areinterpreted on demand or compiled in advance. Functions, methods androutines of the instructions are explained in more detail below.

The data may be retrieved, stored or modified by processor in accordancewith the instructions. For instance, the data may include informationregarding the status of the lifting mechanism 10, air source 20, and/orgrabbing mechanism 100 as discussed further below. Although the claimedsubject matter is not limited by any particular data structure, the datamay be stored in computing device registers, in a relational database asa table having a plurality of different fields and records, XMLdocuments or flat files. The data may also be formatted in any computingdevice-readable format.

The one or more processor may be any conventional processors, such ascommercially available CPUs. Alternatively, the one or more processorsmay be a dedicated device such as an ASIC or other hardware-basedprocessor. The processor, memory, and other elements of computing device40 may be arranged within the same block or device, or alternatively,may be arranged remotely from one another. In addition, the processor,computing device, or memory may actually include multiple processors,computing devices, or memories that may or may not be stored within thesame physical housing.

Computing device 40 may all of the components normally used inconnection with a computing device such as the processor and memorydescribed above as well as a user input (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen and/or microphone) and various electronic displays (e.g., amonitor having a screen or any other electrical device that is operableto display information in accordance with the instructions and data to ahuman operator).

Computing device 40 may also include one or more wired connectionsand/or wireless network connections, such as transmitters and receivers,to facilitate communication with other computing devices, such as thelifting mechanism 10, air source 20, and grabbing mechanism 100 asdiscussed below. The wireless network connections may include shortrange communication protocols such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy(LE), cellular connections, as well as various configurations andprotocols including the Internet, World Wide Web, intranets, virtualprivate networks, wide area networks, local networks, private networksusing communication protocols proprietary to one or more companies,Ethernet, WiFi and HTTP, and various combinations of the foregoing.

As shown in FIG. 2, the grabbing mechanism 100 may include a pluralityof structural features, including a mounting plate 110, a base 120, anda release cylinder 130. The mounting plate 110, base 120, and releasecylinder 130 are fixed relative to or rather secured to one another viascrews 114, 116.

The release cylinder 130 includes a cylinder housing 132, a pistonchamber 134, and a piston 136. The release cylinder 130 may be a highload release cylinder having a high surface area to size ratio, enablinghigh load release, (for instance, up to 200 pounds or more or less) ofan object, such as object 30, attached to the pull stud 200. The piston136 may be configured to move within the piston chamber 134 between afirst position with respect to the cylinder housing 132 shown in FIG. 2and a second position with respect to the cylinder housing shown in FIG.5A.

A first end 102 of the grabbing mechanism 100 includes an ejectioncylinder 140 attached to the mounting plate 110. The ejection cylinder140 may allow for pneumatic operation of the grabbing mechanism 100. Forinstance, the ejection cylinder 140 includes an opening 142 (clearlyvisible in FIG. 4) leading to an ejection chamber 144. This opening maybe connected to the air source 20. When pressurized air or gas from theair source 20 is forced through the opening 142 into the ejectionchamber 144, this may cause a force on a plunger 146 within the ejectioncylinder 140. This force causes the plunger 146 to move away from theopening 142, and eventually ejecting any pull stud within the grabbingmechanism.

The plunger 146 includes a plunger pin 148 which passes throughrespective openings 112, 122 in the mounting plate 110 and base 120. Theplunger pin 148 may mate with an opening, slot or depression 152 in afirst end 154 of an ejector pin 150. A second end 156 of the ejector pin150 is configured to contact an end of a pull stud 200 as shown in FIG.2. The ejector pin 150 may be arranged to move within an opening 162 ina ball cage 160.

The ball cage 160 may include a plurality of balls 164, 165, each ofwhich may rest at least partially within a respective ball chamber, suchas ball chambers 166, 167 of the ball cage. Five or more or less ballsmay be used depending upon the size of the balls, a collet 170, and ballcage 160 as well as the mechanical properties of the grabbing mechanism.The balls 164, 165 may be allowed to move in and out of a groove 174 incollet 170 to allow the ball cage to expand and contract laterally asdiscussed further below.

The ball cage 160 may be fixed against the base and biased away from abottom ledge of the piston 136 via one or more springs, such as spring180, arranged around the ball cage 160. For instance, FIG. 3 provides adetail view of spring 180 arranged around or encircling the ball cage160. In other words, a portion of the ball cage is arranged within thespring 180. The spring 180 biases the piston 136 away from the first end102. This configuration including the one or more springs may preventthe grabbing mechanism 100 from “failing open” and dropping object 30 aninopportune moment which could potentially be dangerous. Rather, ifthere is a loss of pressure in the piston chamber 134, the grabbingmechanism 100 may automatically close.

A first end 172 of the collet 170 may include an opening to allow forthe insertion of the pull stud 200 into the collet 170 and the ball cage160. The collet 170 also includes a groove 174. Turning to the detailview of FIG. 5B, the first end 172 of the collet 170 includes anattached ring or collar 570 which includes a first projection 572 whichinterferes with a corresponding first interference area 560 on the ballcage 160 in order to keep the collet 170 concentric with respect to theball cage 160. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 3, towards the second end 176of the collet 170 is a second interference area 370 which interfereswith a corresponding second projection 360 on the ball cage 160 in orderto keep the collet 170 concentric with respect to the ball cage 160.These features may enable “straight” sliding of the collet with respectto the ball cage.

A second end 176 of the collet 170, opposite of the first end 172, maybe attached to the piston 136 via screws, welding, or other connectiondevices or methods, such that the piston 136 and collet 170 may movetogether. Movement of the piston 136 may be controlled by pressurizingor depressurizing the piston chamber 134 within the cylinder housing132. In this regard, the piston chamber 134 may also include one or moreopenings 137, 138 (shown in FIG. 4) connected to the air source 20 or adifferent air source (not shown).

Turning to the detail view of FIG. 6B, the pull stud 200 includes a headportion 620, a neck portion 622, and a shoulder portion 624. Thesefeatures may allow for ease of attachment and release of the grabbingmechanism 100. As discussed further below, the pull stud 200 may beattached to any number of different objects in order to allow for quickand easy attachment to such objects.

As shown in FIG. 7A, a sensor 700 may be attached to or located adjacentto the ejection chamber 144. The sensor may be used to detect determinethe location and movement of a body 147 of the plunger within thecylinder. In this regard, the sensor 700 may be used to detect whetheror not the pull stud 200 is inserted within the grabbing mechanism 100based on the position of the body 147. As an example, the sensor 700 mayinclude a magnetic reed sensor or switch. In this regard, the body 147may be magnetized. Thus, when the body 147 is directly adjacent to apair of reeds with the sensor 700, the magnetic field from the body maycause the pair of reeds within the sensor 700 to contact one another andpass a signal. This signal may indicate that the pull stud 200 has beeninserted into or is within the grabbing mechanism 100.

For instance, when a pull stud 200 is initially inserted as shown inFIG. 5A, the head of the pull stud 200 may push on the ejector pin 150when moved in the direction of arrow 600. The ejector pin 150 may, inturn, push on the plunger pin 148 which causes the body 147 to movewithin the ejection chamber 144 back towards the opening 142 as shown inFIG. 6A which corresponds to the position of the body 147 shown in FIG.7A. As such, the body 147 is directly adjacent to the pair of reeds ofthe reed sensor causing the reeds to contact one another and pass asignal. This positioning of the body 147 may indicate, for instance,that the pull stud 200 has been inserted or is within the ball cage 160as shown in FIG. 2, 6A, or 7A. FIG. 6A represents a same state of thegrabbing mechanism 100 and the pull stud 200 as FIG. 2 from a differentperspective. In FIG. 8A, the pull stud 200 is locked into the ball cage160. This signal (or a corresponding signal generated at the sensor inresponse to the signal) may be sent, for instance via a transmitter, tothe computing device 40.

The computing device 40 may use the signal, data and instructions todetermine that the body 147 is adjacent to the pair of reeds andtherefore in the positions shown in any of FIG. 2 or 6A. Thisinformation may then be displayed to a human operator. As soon as thebody 147 is moved away from and no longer directly adjacent to the pairof the reeds of the sensor 700, the contact between the pair of reeds isbroken, and the signal is no longer passed. In this regard, thecomputing device 40 would not receive a signal or would receive adifferent signal from the sensor 700, and the computing device 40 maydetermine that the pull stud 200 is not in the position shown in any ofFIG. 2 or 6A. In this regard, the pull stud 200 may be as shown in FIG.4.

If the sensor 700 include multiple pairs of reeds at different positionswithin the sensor, these additional pairs of reeds may be used in asimilar manner to that discussed above in order to allow the computingdevice differentiate between the positions of the body 147 in FIG. 2 or6A when the pull stud 200 is within the ball cage 160, but not yetlocked, and FIG. 8A when the pull stud is locked within the ball cage.Though this may not be necessary as the period of time between when thepull stud 200 is inserted and when the pull stud is locked is so brief.However, the computing device may display this information to a humanoperator and/or use the information to control the lifting mechanism 10,for instance to move the object 30 up, down, laterally, etc. Thus, amagnetic reed sensor may provide an inexpensive and highly reliable wayto determine the state of the grabbing mechanism. Alternatively, ratherthan using a magnetic reed sensor, inductive proximity switches, lasersensing, vision sensing or any number of other common sensing techniquesmay be used to detect the state of the plunger and determine the stateof the grabbing mechanism.

In addition, to increase the load capabilities of a lifting mechanism10, a plurality of grabbing mechanisms 100, such as 3 or 4 or more orless, may be used in conjunction with a plurality of pull studs, such aspull stud 200, to grab and lift an object. For instance, the mountingplates of the plurality of grabbing mechanisms may be attached viafasteners, welding, or other attachment configurations to a supportstructure such as a mounting plate, bracket or other structure whichallows for attachment to the lifting mechanism 10. Each of the grabbingmechanisms 100 may be activated individually in order to grab andrelease a corresponding pull stud, the same or similar to pull stud 200,attached to an object, such as object 30.

In order to insert and lock the pull stud 200 into the grabbingmechanism 100, the second end 104 of the grabbing mechanism 100 may beplaced over and aligned with the pull stud 200. For instance the opening173 of the collet 170 may be aligned with the head portion 620 of thepull stud 200 as shown in FIG. 4.

Once aligned, the piston chamber 134 may be pressurized. For instance,an operator may use the computing device 40 to activate and cause theair source 20 to pressurize the piston chamber 134 within the releasecylinder 130. For instance, airsource 20 may force gas through opening137 in order to pressurize the piston chamber. The pressurization mayovercome the force of the spring 180 on the piston 136. Eventually, thepressurization may cause the piston 136 to move within the pistonchamber 134 from the position shown in FIG. 4 in the direction of arrow500 to the position shown in FIG. 5A. This movement may cause the ballchambers 166, 167 of the ball cage 160 to will align with the groove 174of the collet 170. This may allow the pull stud 200 to move through andbeyond the balls 164, 165 and further into the ball cage 160 in thedirection of arrow 600 to the position shown in FIG. 6A.

At the same time, the head portion 620 of the pull stud 200 to pressinto the ejector pin 150. Because the plunger in 148 is within thedepression 152 of the ejector pin 150, the ejector pin may push upwardon the plunger pin 148 moving the plunger pin away from the opening 173of the collet 170 in the direction of arrow 600 of FIG. 6A. Thismovement of the plunger pin 148 may cause the body 147 to move withinthe ejection chamber 144 into position adjacent to the sensor 700. Thesensor 700 may detect the change in the position of the body 147 asdiscussed above and send a signal to the computing device 40 indicatingthe position of the body 147.

The computing device 40 may determine from the signal that the pull stud200 is inserted into the grabbing mechanism 100. The computing device 40may display this information to an operator who may activate and causethe air source 20 to again pressurize the piston chamber 134 within therelease cylinder 130. In this instance, air source 20 may force gasthrough opening 138 in order to pressurize the piston chamber.Alternatively, the computing device 40 may automatically send a signalto the air source 20 in order to activate and cause the air source 20 topressurize the piston chamber 134 within the release cylinder 130.

The pressurization may cause the piston 136 to move within the pistonchamber 134 from the position shown in FIG. 6A in the direction of arrow800 to the position shown in FIG. 8A. This, in turn, may cause thecollet 170 attached to the piston 136 to move over the ball cage 160. Asthe collet 170 moves, the ball chambers 166, 167 will move out ofalignment with the groove 174 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In thisregard, FIG. 8B is a detail view of FIG. 8A. This may also cause theballs 164, 165 to be pushed back into or towards the center of the ballcage 160 and thereby locking the balls at the neck portion 622 of thepull stud 200. The head portion 620 may take various shapes, but may beenlarged relative to the neck portion 622 of the pull stud 200 in orderto prevent the pull stud 200 from inadvertently sliding through theballs. The shoulder portion 624 of the pull stud 200 and an edge 660 ofan open end 662 of the ball cage 160 may limit movement of the pull stud200 within the ball cage 160 as shown in FIGS. 6A and 8A, and thereprevent the pull stud 200 from moving too far into the ball cage 160 andcollet 170. At this point, a lifting mechanism, such as liftingmechanism 10, may be used, for instance by an operator using computingdevice 40, in order to lift and/or move the object, such as object 30,attached to the pull stud 200.

In order to release the pull stud 200, the air source 20 may be used topressurize the piston chamber 134 of the release cylinder 130. Thepressurization may force the piston 136 and the collet 170 in thedirection of arrow 900 towards the mounting plate. In addition, theejection chamber 144 of the ejection cylinder 140 may be pressurized,pushing the body 147, plunger pin 148, and ejector pin 150 against thehead of the pull stud 200 in the direction of arrow 910. In addition,the collet 170 may move over the ball cage 160 causing the ball chambers166, 167 to align with the groove 174. As the head portion 620 of thepull stud 200 is pushed in the direction of arrow 910, the head portionalso forces the balls 164, 165 outward and into the groove 174 as shownin FIGS. 6A and 6B. The head portion 620 of the pull stud 200 may nowfit between the balls 164, 165. The ejector pin 150 may continue to pushon the head portion 620 of the pull stud 200 until the pull stud isejected or otherwise released from the collet as shown in FIG. 9.Eventually, the ejection chamber 144 will depressurize, for instanceautomatically through opening 142 and the piston chamber 134 may againbe pressurized though opening 138 to allow the grabber mechanism 100 tobe used to grab another (or the same) pull stud.

As noted above, as the piston 136 and collet 170 move in the variousdirections with respect to the ball cage 160, the first projection 572of the collar 570 may interfere with the corresponding firstinterference area 560 on the ball cage 160 in order to keep the collet170 concentric with respect to the over the ball cage 160 (as shown inFIG. 5B), and the second interference area 370 of the collet 170 mayinterfere with the corresponding second projection 360 on the ball cage160 in order to keep the collet 170 concentric with respect to over theball cage 160 (as shown in FIG. 3).

As noted above, object 30 may be any type of object with an attachedpull stud configured the same as or similarly to pull stud 200. Theabove-described aspects of the technology may be of particular useadvantageous for lifting a balloon envelope of a high-altitude balloon.For instance, the pull stud may be attached to a balloon, and thegrabbing mechanism used to lift and hold the balloon during manufacture,during inflation (for instance, straight out of a shipping or storagebox), and just prior to launch.

As an example, and referring to the example balloon 1000 of FIG. 10, oneor more pull studs 1010, which may be the same as or similar to pullstud 200, may be attached to a top cap 1020 of a balloon envelope 1030.The top cap 1020 may provide a mounting location for structural tendons1040 of the balloon envelope 1030. One or more grabbing mechanisms 100may then be used to grab, lift, and/or move the balloon 1000 at the pullstuds 1010. Lifting from the top cap 1020 may allow the balloon envelope1030 to be inflated without the need to lay the balloon envelope out onthe ground and thereby protect the balloon envelope 1030 from damagethat can short the flight life of the balloon 1000. Moreover, thevarious components of the grabbing mechanism 100 may be modified tofurther manage and facilitate lifting and filling the balloon envelope1030 while it is being inflated.

Most of the foregoing alternative examples are not mutually exclusive,but may be implemented in various combinations to achieve uniqueadvantages. As these and other variations and combinations of thefeatures discussed above can be utilized without departing from thesubject matter defined by the claims, the foregoing description of theembodiments should be taken by way of illustration rather than by way oflimitation of the subject matter defined by the claims. In addition, theprovision of the examples described herein, as well as clauses phrasedas “such as,” “including” and the like, should not be interpreted aslimiting the subject matter of the claims to the specific examples;rather, the examples are intended to illustrate only one of manypossible embodiments. Further, the same reference numbers in differentdrawings can identify the same or similar elements.

1. A system for grabbing an object including a pull stud, the systemcomprising: a grabbing mechanism including: a piston chamber having apiston configured to move within the piston chamber when the pistonchamber is pressurized; a collet attached to the piston such that thecollet and piston move together when the piston moves, the colletincluding a groove; a ball cage including a plurality of balls arrangedat least partially within respective ball chambers of the ball cage, theball cage being arranged at least partially within the collet such thatmovement of the piston and collet causes the groove to align with therespective ball chambers, wherein the plurality of balls are configuredto move into and out of the groove and to lock the pull stud within thegrabbing mechanism; and an ejector pin configured to contact the pullstud to eject the pull stud from the grabbing mechanism.
 2. The systemof claim 1, wherein the grabbing mechanism further includes a springconfigured to bias the piston in a first direction such thatpressurization of the piston chamber causes the piston to overcome aforce of the spring on the piston.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein thespring is arranged around a portion of the ball cage such that theportion of the ball cage is within the spring.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the ejector pin pushes a head portion of the pull stud to ejectthe pull stud.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the ejector pin isarranged within an opening of the ball cage.
 6. The system of claim 5,wherein the ejector pin is configured to move within the opening of theball cage.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the grabbing mechanismfurther includes a plunger including a plunger body and a plunger pin,the plunger pin being configured to mate with a depression in theejector pin such that a force on the plunger body causes the plunger pinto move the ejector pin.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the grabbingmechanism further includes an ejection cylinder having an ejectionchamber, wherein the plunger body is arranged within the ejectionchamber, such that pressurization of the ejection cylinder causes theforce on the plunger body.
 9. The system of claim 8, further comprisingan air source configured to pressurize the ejection cylinder.
 10. Thesystem of claim 7, further comprising a sensor configured to send asignal indicating a location of the plunger body.
 11. The system ofclaim 10, further comprising a computing device, wherein the sensor isconfigured to send the signal to the computing device, and wherein thecomputing device is configured to determine a position of the plungerbody.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein in response to receiving thesignal, the computing device is configured to cause the piston chamberto be pressurized.
 13. The system of claim 1, further comprising alifting mechanism including a crane.
 14. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising an air source configured to pressurize the piston chamber.15. The system of claim 1, further comprising the pull stud.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the pull stud includes a head portionconfigured to force the plurality of balls to move into the groove whenthe groove is aligned with the respective ball chambers.
 17. The systemof claim 15, wherein the pull stud includes a neck portion configured toallow the plurality of balls to lock the pull stud in the grabbingmechanism.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the pull stud includes ashoulder portion arranged to limit movement of the pull stud within theball cage.
 19. The system of claim 18, further comprising the object.20. The system of claim 19, wherein the object is a balloon including atop cap, and the pull stud is attached to the top cap.